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NATO urges Pakistan to start border operations

* NATO chief in Afghanistan says ISAF still under-resourced

KABUL: The head of NATO forces in Afghanistan US General Dan McNeill said on Thursday he was optimistic that Pakistan would resume operations against militants along its border with Afghanistan.

The three-month-old government in Islamabad has scaled down operations as it pursues peace talks with Taliban in the Tribal Areas in a bid to end a wave of bloody violence. Afghanistan fears this could result in more attacks on its side of the border.

McNeill, head of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), said a recent increase in attacks in eastern Afghanistan was because “there is no pressure on the terrorists and the extremists on the other side of the border.”

“Pakistan had a very difficult year, with a huge wave of suicide bombers, the Red Mosque [Lal Masjid] events, 257 soldiers captured by 20 insurgents...,” he told reporters.

“They have also just gone through huge changes within their government, they’re still trying to find their way,” he said.

“I’m optimistic that all of this, at some point, will translate itself in military operations on the opposite side of the border,” said the general.

Under-resourced: McNeill said the 40-nation ISAF was still under-resourced despite growing from 35,000 to 50,000 soldiers during his 15 months at the helm, due to end on Tuesday when he will hand over the charge to US General David McKiernan.

“It doesn’t mean we can’t get the job done, but it implies it will take longer,” he said.

Afghanistan is larger than Iraq and has a bigger population, but about half the international soldiers, he said. There are about 70,000 US and NATO soldiers in Afghanistan, with 162,000 foreign troops in Iraq. afp

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